London

ARTICLES ABOUT LONDON BY DATE - PAGE 4

NEW DELHI: India and the US extended their talks in London by a day today to iron out the kinks in the way of operationalising the landmark civil nuclear deal with officials making all efforts to stitch a "concrete" outcome during President Barack Obama's visit, starting in three days. The talks of the Indo-US Contact Group on nuclear cooperation , which started yesterday, centred on the ticklish liability issue which has stalled the implementation of the agreements inked in 2005 between the then US President George Bush and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh . The Indian liability law holds the suppliers directly liable in case of a nuclear accident while countries like France and the US have asked India to follow global norms under which the primary liability is with the operator.

NEW DELHI: Racing against time, officials from India and the US met in London today to resolve issues that have come in the way of operationalising the landmark civil nuclear deal with President Barack Obama due here in four days' time. Meanwhile, US Ambassador to India, Richard Verma , also exuded hope that there will be progress on the deal. "We continue to be hopeful of implementing the civil nuclear agreement to fulfil the PM (Narendra Modi's) goal of providing electricity to all Indians by 2020," he said at an event here.

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to London next week to hold talks with the coalition partners on degrading and defeating the dreaded IS terrorist outfit. "Kerry will travel to London, on January 22 to consult with the UK and other Counter-IS Coalition partners on our shared efforts to degrade and defeat IS," State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said yesterday. He will also hold a bilateral discussion with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond during the visit.

LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron today met the country's security and spy chiefs here and discussed the threat faced by the UK of a Paris-style attack. In the meeting, it was agreed that security agencies in Britain will consider elements of the Paris attacks, which claimed 17 lives, while planning future training exercises for police and security services. The UK's terror threat level remains at "severe" - meaning an attack is highly likely - one below the highest "critical" level, which would suggest an attack is imminent.

MUMBAI: The BJP today asked the government to acquire the 2,050 sq ft, three-storey house in London where Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar once lived. Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar said he has written to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley seeking Prime Minister's intervention to acquire the house. "This is an emotional issue for Ambedkar followers and people of Maharashtra," Shelar said. The house has market price of Rs 40 crore. An agent of Goldschmidt & Howland said that after the initial flurry of activity last year, the Indian authorities seem to have lost interest in the property, according to Shelar.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to postpone his UK visit planned for early-2015 to sometime after the British parliamentary elections in May. Modi was earlier expected to visit London towards the end of January to unveil a statue of Mahatma Gandhi on January 30 to mark the death anniversary of the Father of Nation. However, as US President Barack Obama is visiting Delhi on January 25-26, there is little time left to prepare for a PM trip to the UK in the same month, officials said.

LAHORE: Former President and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari is in London to persuade his "angry" son Bilawal to return to Pakistan to attend events marking the 7th death anniversary of his mother Benazir Bhutto on December 27. Bilawal left for London a week before the party's foundation day event in Lahore on November 30 after reported differences with his father over the control of party affairs. It would be the first time in the last seven years if Bilawal does not attend his mother's death anniversary in Pakistan.

LONDON: The British Parliament today unveiled plans to introduce a 'English votes for English laws system' to be enforced in the country which would give English MPs enhanced scrutiny and a veto over new laws. House of Commons Leader William Hague told MPs that legislation affecting just England should only be passed "with the consent of the majority" of English MPs. The new system is also designed to give English MPs enhanced scrutiny and a veto over new laws. Hague's statement included three Conservative proposals and one suggestion from coalition partners Liberal Democrats which will now be considered by both Houses.

LONDON: Five-time chess world champion Viswanathan Anand won his maiden London Classic title after defeating British Grandmaster Michael Adams in the fifth and final round, here today. Having drawn the first four games of the six-player round-robin tournament, Anand had to win to stay in contention for a podium finish and he was duly assisted by Adams who fought it out instead of going for a dull draw with white pieces. The victory confirms Anand's presence in elite chess for some time.

LONDON: Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra has been appointed as new Trustee for London's Natural History Museum. Mahindra's appointment is for an initial four-year term from January 1, 2015, London's Natural History Museum said in a statement. Mahindra group is a $16.5 billion organisation and figures among India's top 10 industrial houses. "At a time of profound change, institutions like the Natural History Museum will play an increasingly critical role in developing solutions to pressing global challenges," Mahindra said.